An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c9.s7.14

v1.c9.s7.14

To turn to Sind again. Excavation at Kot Diji, 40 km e. of Mohenjo-daro across the Indus, has yielded results of far-reaching consequence (Khan, 1981, pp. 15-24). As at KALIBANGAN, the pre-Harappa settlement here (Kot Diji I) was fortified from the very beginning, the defensive wall consisting of undressed limestone blocks at the base and of mud brick above. The buildings, of meticulous planning, in the earlier periods, were of stone and mud brick, the dimensions having the ratio of 4:2:1, the same at Kalibangan I and II. Kot Diji I came to an end with a disastrous conflagration, after which the mature Harappa culture occupied the site with a brief overlap with the earlier one. According to the excavator, ‘there are strong indications that at least in three respects the Kot Dijians were the forerunners of the Indus civilization. Firstly, town-planning and fortification; secondly, pottery decoration with fish-scale and intersecting circle patterns; and thirdly, the triangular terracotta cakes, which are not otherwise known outside the Indus civilization.’ *Mutatis mutandis* a comparison between Kalibangan I and Kot Diji I is inevitable, the chief differences being the absence of painted intersecting circles as pottery decoration and of terracotta cakes at the former site. A cognateness but not identity is recognizable.